Diramore

Diramore (ဓီရာမိုရ်; born Maung Maung Zaw Htet; born 4 June 1974) is a Myanmar musician and pro-rector (training) at the National University of Arts and Culture, Mandalay.

His stage name "Diramore" was given by his father and eldest brother before his debut.

The name, meaning "The Wiser One," is a portmanteau of the Pali term for "wise" and the Burmese term for Mount Meru (Mount Myintmo).

Diramore was born in Kawkareik, Kayin State, Myanmar, on 4 June 1974, from U Htun Naing and Daw Nyunt Nwe.

He is the youngest among his siblings: five brothers and a sister.

The eldest brother inspired him to be interested in music since he was young.

At the age of twelve, he became part of his brothers’ band and performed at the parties, events and seasonal festivals in Mawlamyine.

In 1992, he passed the matriculation exam with Physics distinction, from BEHS (4), Mawlamyine.

When the National University of Arts and Culture, Yangon (NUAC) officially opened in 1993, Diramore enrolled in this university and became one of the 1st batch students majoring in Music.

During his years as a student at NUAC, Diramore determined to choose Music as his career.

Initially, Diramore was not very interested in the traditional music of Myanmar.

After learning more and more about Myanmar traditional music at the university, he began to recognize and appreciate the core value and the beauty of traditional music.

Later, he entered the National Performing Arts Competition, specializing in such Myanmar traditional instruments as Hne, Oozi, Doe Pat, and achieved gold, silver and bronze medals.

Moreover, he gained knowledge of recording, dubbing, and film music production from some great intellects like U Ko Ko, U Hla Htut, U Tin Yee, Trumpet Win Oo, and so on.

In 1997, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Music.

In 1997, Diramore graduated his first degree, and was appointed as a tutor at the Department of Music, National University of Arts and Culture, Yangon.

In 2000, with his first solo album Guitar Shi Lar (Do You Have a Guitar?), Diramore debuted as a composer and singer.

The year when Diramore founded Gita Kabyar Orchestra (formerly Opera Orchestra) and began to work as a music director was in 2002.

The earliest performance of Diramore and his orchestra was a live recorded album named Chitthu Doe Ye Mingalar Tay.

Then, in 2003, Diramore won a full scholarship from Monbukagakusho Scholarship Program of Japan.

Afterwards, Diramore won a scholarship and continued his study for the second degree, in Tokyo University of the Arts, from 2003 to 2006.

Thus, in Japan, he continued to study as a research student until 2004, and completed his master's degree in Composition from Tokyo University of the Arts (Geidai), in 2006.

The name of contemporary composition Diramore submitted for his master's degree was "End of This Life."

The piece was originally inspired by a Myanmar traditional tune called "Byaing Taung (a melody usually played at the funerals). It described a human's feelings before death and involved five different sections: regaining consciousness, memories, pain, the door of death, and the end. It took a year for him to complete this piece. Besides, during his years in Japan, Diramore played as a member of Bunkyo Amateur Orchestra.

In 2007, he became an assistant lecturer at the Department of Music, National University of Arts and Culture, Yangon.

Chronologically, the second solo album Kyanaw Nae Gita (Music and I) was released in 2008; the third solo album Lamin Phan Pwel (Race of Catching the Moon) in 2012; and the fourth solo album Myit O Gyi (The Old River) in 2016.

As a singer, he collaborated with some musicians from foreign countries.

From 2010 to 2011, Diramore worked as an assistant director at the Department of Fine Arts, Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture (Myanmar).

In 2011, he was transferred to National University of Arts and Culture, Yangon as an associate professor of music.

He became professor/ Head of Music Department, National University of Arts and Culture, Yangon in 2013 and got promoted as Prorector (training) of National University of Arts and Culture, Mandalay in 2019.

As a musician, Diramore is actively working as a composer, singer, music director, and music producer.

When he was a university student, Diramore wanted to be a composer who is able to create not only Rock and Pop songs but also Classical pieces.

Therefrom, he started composing songs and tried to persuade popular singers of that time to buy his songs.

However, the songs were not accepted by those singers and he was not willing to create his songs for someone's preference.

Thus, he stopped persuading others and made a decision to sing his own songs.

Some of his achievements as a music director include: Opening and Closing Ceremonies of 2013 SEA Games as well as 2014 ASEAN Para Games; Opening Ceremonies of Myanmar Motion Picture Academy Awards in 2017, 2018 and 2019 ; Japan-Myanmar Festivals; and collaborations with ASEAN-RUSSIA Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra for Myanmar, Taipei Civic Orchestra, and BBC Symphony Orchestra.

In 2016, Diramore and the Japanese singer Suwa Junko dropped a single named "Friends" for Kumamoto Earthquake relief fund.

The next year, a single named "Phayar Pay Su (God's Reward)" was released as a result of the collaboration between Diramore and Joss Stone, during her Total World Tour.

In 2016, he was awarded by the Charles Wallace Burma Trust (UK-registered Charity), and went to University of Bristol, England, as a visiting fellow for three months.

During the visit, he not only arranged orchestral version of Myanmar Classical song "Ywe Ta Nyar" for the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra for Myanmar and New Children's Choir; but also gave a presentation about Myanmar Classical Music at the Faculty of Arts, Bristol University.